Parabellum Bullet
by TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere
Summary: With her role complete, Alex would fade away from existence. Rather than be erased from history because of her actions in creating a new future for the world, she was granted a second lease on life through a stranger in a wheelchair. Now in a world where one's fate is decided by a card game, what kind of strange journey will Alex find herself in this time?
1. MISSION-01

**DISCLAIMER** : I do not own Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey or Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS. Both are property of Atlus and Konami respectively.

Word of warning. This story contains spoilers of the endgame content of Strange Journey Redux. Proceed to your own peril, foolish mortal.

* * *

 _ **Parabellum Bullet**_

* * *

Humans are foolish, as they are weak.

They cannot comprehend, that which they do not understand.

It is a fact that persists through time. They cannot learn from their mistakes. Only repeat them.

Yet, even so, they trudge forward, walking paths that would only lead to them falling.

Some would choose to walk a path filled with carnage, where only the strongest could survive. Others would choose to forfeit their free will to live as slaves.

And the truly foolish would choose to walk the path of thorns.

...but, in an age where He is but a tyrant, guiding humans towards their foolishness, what other alternative is there?

For even though humans are foolish, they are resilient beings.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

 _ **Even if they are the architects of their own destruction...**_

* * *

She was born in a world where humans had grown feeble and foolish, succumbing to complecancy and leading them to their ruin. Though the calamity that besieged their world had fallen, it returned to swallow them whole.

She wished to change such a fate. Not for the world, but for a selfish desire. She knew that three individuals were the cause behind the creation of her world. One of which was the catalyst. Yet, with each encounter, she understood that he was different. He could learn from a mistake and proceed forward. His strength was greater than hers. Fighting him would be pointless. Once, her goal had been to change the course of the future and kill him where he stood. Now, it had changed. _He_ had changed it.

"...I suppose this will be the last time we meet." she said to the soldier before her as her body began to fade away into a pale blue light. She couldn't see his face, due to the helmet of his suit blocking it from view, but she could tell from his posture that he couldn't help but feel saddened by her departure. He shouldn't be that way. After all, it was thanks to him that the future she came from wouldn't come to pass. Not so long as he remembered. Gently, she pulled the ring from her finger and took his hand, pressing it into his palm and squeezing his hand. "A good luck charm." she told him.

The soldier hesitated. Then, after a moment, a baritone yet soft voice emerged from his throat. "...I understand." he said. She pulled away from him as he pocketed the ring away. "I promise. I will continue the mission." He paused for a moment, as if to ponder his next choice of words, before speaking again. "Your mission."

 _"We shall hold you to it."_ George said. More and more of her body faded. Soon, she would disappear from existence. _"It has been a pleasure... Alex."_

She smiled. "It was fun, George..."

With a final smile, and a heartfelt farewell, the daughter of Lucifer, Alexandra, was erased from existence, undone by her own hands in changing the course of time and leading a single man into a mission that would last for eons...

* * *

MISSION_01:X_Factor

* * *

Alex had expected death to come peacefully, if perhaps painless. When she was being erased after she had succeeded in her mission, she felt nothing. Not even as her body was breaking down into light. Death, however, didn't come peacefully or painlessly.

It felt like it hadn't come at all. Beneath her feet, she could feel earth touching her skin. Her nose caught whiff of something indescribable, neither foul or sweet. A cold wind breathed against her face. Her eyes opened, greeted by a sight that startled her greatly. Before her was a barren wasteland. Nothing but cracked Earth and a dead gray sky above.

"What's going on...?" she said, frowning as she looked around, tension already coming into her. This wasn't right. She was supposed to have been erased, wasn't she? "Where is this? How am I alive?"

 _"...system successfully rebooted. Operations functional."_ an electronic voice bleeped from her Demonica. _"Hello, Alex. It would seem we are somehow still in existence."_

"Seems like..." Alex said, internally grateful her friend and partner was still with her. "George, run a scan."

 _"Affirmative. Scanning..."_ Seconds ticked by before George spoke. _"I detect a large signal not far from our location. I recommend approaching it with caution."_

"Where is it?"

 _"Right behind you."_ George told her bluntly.

Immediately, Alex whirled around, drawing her energy blade and aiming it at the target before her, only to falter moments later when she saw that it was a man sitting in a modified wheelchair, dressed in a dark red suit with glasses and neat white hair. Despite having a blade aimed at his face, he had a smile etched into his face.

"Hello." the man greeted as if he wasn't being threatened. "My name is Stephen. It's a pleasure to meet you."

 _"Alex."_ George cautioned. _"This man is not human."_

Alex narrowed her eyes, raising the blade up closer to his artery. "Are you a demon?"

"Fortunately, no. I am not a demon." the man called Stephen replied smoothly. "And neither am I an angel or a god, for that matter." He raised a hand disarmingly, showing that he was unarmed. "Please, lower your weapon. I have no intention of fighting you."

She kept her sword raised, gauging him. He looked harmless...but the same could be said about some of the demons in Scharzwelt. Underestimating your opponents, no matter their looks, was dangerous. He may look human, but George's analysis told her otherwise. It could be a trick, posing as a mere cripple. Yet, somehow, Alex found herself doubting that was the case. He was too open. Too calm.

Keeping her sword at his throat, she asked, "What is this place?"

"The Expanse." Stephen answered, lowering his hand and resting them on his lap. "Think of it like the Scharzwelt, only without its property to eliminate all life of the planet. It is the birthplace of all of creation, including humans, demons, angels and even the gods. It is also a place that exists outside of reason, hence why you're still alive." Alex's eyes widened slightly, arm lowering. "Yes, I am aware of your fate, Alexandra. I must also say you have done a wonderful job, securing the proper path for that young man."

"...who in the world are you?"

Stephen's smile didn't fade. If anything, it shifted into one of reminisce. "I am many things. Among them is a guide of sorts. No different than the angel who rebelled against YHVH. However, whereas he would lead humanity to a world of free will and lawless strength, I would guide humans to pursue a different path. I believe he called it the path of thorns."

She stared at the man for a moment, then she lowered her arm, retracting her blade and placing it back into its holster. "Okay then, Stephen." she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why did you bring me here? And more importantly, how were you able to accomplish that? Not even a god should have that sort of power."

"Indeed not. Nothing short of the Creator God would be capable of that. However, as I said. The Expanse is a realm outside of reason. Bringing you here wasn't entirely difficult. Of course, you must be wondering why I brought you to this place, correct?" Alex nodded, pleased to know that he was getting to the point. "There is a matter I wish to discuss with you. One of vital importance. Whether or not you choose to listen and accept is purely up to you."

 _"Please elaborate, mister Stephen."_ George asked.

"Before I begin... Would you like to see it?" Stephen asked. Alex frowned heavily, demanding a straight answer from him. Seeing her expression made the man chuckle. "The future you helped create." Her eyes widened, breath stolen away. After her mind collected itself and repeated his words, trying to find a hint of malice, she slowly nodded. Stephen smiled, and then extended his hand.

Then-

* * *

 _The world was encompassed in stars. Everywhere, past the desolate gray flatlands marred with craters, there was a black canvas, painted with millions of brilliant tiny lights; each representing a world of their own. Within view, a planet sat before him. A giant blue ball with white streaks and blotches of brown and green and white. Overlapping with that was a single image composed of static. It was simple, but beautiful nonetheless. A stunning blonde woman, holding a tiny infant girl in her arms. Whether her smile was motherly or something else was up for debate, but it was an image he held dear to his heart._

 _A reminder._

 _Then, without warning, the air shifted. It thickened with malice, pure and unadulterated. Lifting his head, he saw a black swirling mass slowly form at the bottom of the planet in front of him. At the center, a red light glimmered as if it were a beacon._

"Hello." _He turned over his shoulder, finding Arthur situated atop a metal box, circuits and wires all tangled up in a mess._ "Seventh iteration of Schwarzwelt detected. Over 150 years have transpired since our last operation. Do you still feel human?"

 _He closed his eyes, sucking a deep breath through his nose before he clenched the ring in his hand tightly. He wasn't sure how he could answer that. He could feel blood rushing through his veins. He could feel the rough texture of his skin within his palm and the cool metal of the ring in his hand. He could feel the chilling air of the area around him. He could feel the calm beatings of the heart in his chest._

 _Time meant relatively little to him now. Even though 150 years had passed, it felt much longer to him. It felt as if he had been fighting for ages. And now, he was about to take to the battlefield again. Humans had become complacent and corrupt once again._

 _...he felt tired. Weary. Exhausted._

 _But he had a promise to keep._

"Issuing new mission, designated [Destroy the Schwarzwelt]." _Arthur gave the green light. Thus, without further ado, he grabbed his sword and gun, holstering them to his Demonica. Behind him, the demonic companions he had been fighting with all this time emerged. All ready for combat and eager to fight alongside their user once again. For beings such as themselves, a grand conflict such as this was a true blessing._ "I look forward to the successful completion of your mission."

 _The solider nodded. Then he walked away, demons following close behind. Once more, the man who would fight for the sake of humanity had taken to the battlefield. Once more, the man who fought for the sake of a promise had taken up arms against gods and demons alike._

 _Once more, the last member of the Schwarzwelt Investigation's Strike Team stepped into hell._

* * *

The world faded away, vanishing and settling into the background. Alex found herself slightly disoriented, stumbling to regain her footing and trying to rid herself of the rush of lightheadedness that overwhelmed her in moments. Once it had passed, she stared at Stephen. "That... Was that...?"

"The future you helped create." Stephen confirmed for her. "As you saw for yourself, humanity had brought the wrath of the gods and demons who sought revenge for the planet. And that man fought back. For centuries, he has been fighting, waiting until the day humanity can learn from its mistakes."

She let that sink into her head. The Command Unit, Arthur's words rung in her head. 150 years since their last operation. Did he mean since the first Scharzwelt Investigation? Or, was it since the sixth iteration? The look in his eyes were so dull and tired, the sort of eyes someone from the Vietnam War would have. If he had been destroying the Scharzwelt every time it manifested and threatened to consume the Earth, then...

Her heart sank slightly. Was this because of her? Even though her future was averted, had she doomed a good man to this fate? Sensing her apprehension, Stephen placated her soothingly. "If you are worried that you forced him into this role, push those fears aside. He had chosen this path of his own volition. No different than the likes of Zelenin or Jimenez, who chose to pursue the path of demons and gods."

"...how exactly do you know all of this?" Alex asked him. She believed he had no malicious intentions, his actions speaking for themselves, but even so she couldn't shake off a sense of wrongness around him. There was something unnatural about him. Something inhuman. Something _powerful_. Far stronger than any demon in the Womb of Grief. "Who are you?"

"Little more than a man who wants to see humans pursue a path unheld by either Law or Chaos." Stephen answered. He turned his head to the side, even though there was nothing out past the horizon. It was as if he was gazing at something only he could see. "Did you know that there exists other worlds? Each with their own trials for humanity, and each engulfed in a battle between the temptation of demons and the schemes of gods. Your world, threatened by the Schwarzwelt, was but one of them. Of course, such threats have also been caused by human error. By their inability to learn and cause the most horrible of mistakes."

 _"The Multiverse Theory."_ George recalled. _"You are saying such a thing exists?"_

Stephen's smile turned upward. "You've explored the Schwarzwelt, a world composed of alternate realities, have you not?" At this, Alex could not retort. He had a point. Without further interruptions, he continued. "Each world also possesses its own possibilities. Your world being no exception. That young man could have sided with either the demons or the gods in one of those possibilities. You, of course, would have opposed him either way."

"Of course I would." Alex snorted. "Jimenez wanted to create a world where humans and demons have to fight each other in a bloody game of survival. That kind of world would end in humanity's extinction."

George proceeded to add, _"Zelenin's world would have been no different. There would be some humans who would be unaffected by her song. Such humans would be viewed as threats and eliminated."_

"Indeed." Stephen nodded. "In the end, those possibilities wouldn't be perfect outcomes. Not unless they chose to rebel against their benefactors, just as you had managed to convince that young man to continue with the mission. To protect humanity." He adjusted his glasses briefly before he continued. "Those possibilities also exist, of course."

"Is there a point to all this, old man?"

"Hahaha. Very much like your mother." Alex's eyes widened, staring at the man in disbelief.

"Y...You know my mother?"

"I wouldn't say we are friends." Stephen shrugged. "But I can't say they're in the wrong, either. We both have humanity's best interests at heart. It's simply a matter of how we go about it."

Alex wanted to ask something, _anything_ , about her mother. She opened her mouth, only to stop and close it. Internally, she felt conflicted. As a child, she was raised by her father, who she could barely recall. At best, all she remembered about him was that he possessed a strong sense of duty. And her mother, she knew next to nothing. All she truly knew about her was that she was not human.

Yes, Alex was born a half-breed. Half human and half demon. A forbidden union. Yet her existence was a boon. She was able to fight faster and stronger than any demon or human in the Schwarzwelt. The only person who outclassed her was the soldier who had changed her perception.

Part of her wanted to learn more about her mother. Another part of her reminded her of her circumstances. Stephen had brought her here for a reason. He told her about the existences of possibilities. Other worlds. There must have been a reason he brought her here. Her mind drifted back to the mindset the soldier had. That one must pursue the mission and complete it. Her view had been no different. Even though completing her mission would result in her death, she still pursued him.

"...get to the point already." Alex got out reluctantly, pushing the thoughts of her mother to the back of her mind. "Why did you bring me here? You saved me from being erased after I created a paradox, so you must have something you want from me."

Stephen chuckled. "Very well. I will be frank. As I have told you earlier, there exists countless other worlds. Each facing their own trials. One of these worlds is one of the few untested, though not without its fair share of problems. In the past, during the rule of the Egyptian Pharaohs, powerful artifacts known as the Millennium Items came into being, and each was entrusted to those within the Pharaoh's inner circle. These items were designed to punish those foolish enough to pillage the tombs of previous kings. The darkness in their hearts were then sealed away into slabs, accumulating and reborn into more powerful forms. The Pharaohs then use these creatures to participate in Shadow Games, duels to decide one's fate. As the world headed into the modern age, a brilliant man by the name of Maximillion Pegasus discovered the slabs containing these creatures and utilized them, reformatting their purpose.

"The end result was a popular card game known as Duel Monsters. It is known throughout the world and many participate, even attending tournaments. However, that being said, not even Pegasus could have predicted that there would be those who would use Duel Monsters for more malevolent intentions. While they are now used in a children's card game, they were still used in games to decide one's fate. Like any world, it too possesses possibilities. With each possibility is a new future and fate. One of those possibilities has thrown Duel Monsters into the virtual world."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "And let me guess, someone is using Duel Monsters for some evil purpose in that virtual world?"

"Close." Stephen chuckled. "A corporation known as SOL Technologies had created a digital world known as LINK VRAINS. An abbreviation for Link Virtual Reality Artificial Intelligence Network System. It is one of the most popular dueling grounds for players of the game. However, the means in which they created it were not without consequences. In the process of creating a world like this, they had stirred a being from its slumber. An ancient entity that the Pharaohs had sealed away."

 _"But the means of which SOL Technologies took to create the virtual world of LINK VRAINS broke the seal."_ George surmised. _"And now it has started to wake up. Would that be correct?"_

"Indeed." Stephen nodded. "Furthermore, it has drawn individuals to it to hasten its revival. I wish for you to intervene in this world, and prevent that entity from awakening. Of course, whether you choose to accept this is up to you. I cannot force you to change that world's fate."

"...what happens if I don't accept your offer?"

"Then you will simply be returned to nothingness." Stephen answered. His answer made her scowl, fingers coiling into fists. "Think of it like this. If you accept to intervene in that world, and succeed, you will have something you didn't have before."

"And what might that be?" Alex snarled.

His next words made her freeze. "A life to live out."

Silence came afterwards. Heavy and filled with tension. Alex stood there, glaring at Stephen. She wanted to cut him down where he stood. From her point of view, he had more or less been dangling an offer she had no choice but to accept if she wanted to life. She idly wondered if she should refuse it, if only to spite him. She wanted to live a normal life. It had been one of her dearest wishes, having been born into a world where humanity had brought upon its own destruction. And now, here Stephen was, offering that chance in the form of protecting humanity. She never cared about the world, just herself. Call her selfish if you wish, but it was the truth.

A second ticked by. Then, slowly, she answered in a low voice. "...If you're lying about this, you will regret it."

Stephen merely smiled, waving a hand. "Thank you." he said, genuinely meaning it. Alex snorted, finding no comfort in those words. "Before I send you off, allow me to give you this."

He raised his hand, which began to circulate with bits and streams of data, flowing into the bracer housing George. _"Data Received."_ George said. _"Confirmation of Deck Installation. Alex, these cards are based on the demons encountered in Schwarzwelt."_ Alex blinked, not expecting to hear that before she turned to Stephen, about to confront him about the matter.

However, the man was gone. Soon, the desolate landscape of the Expanse began to fade away into light, slowly collapsing and fading from view. Alex was soon consumed by the light, fading along with it...

* * *

 _Humans are foolish, and weak._

 _They are incapable of learning from mistakes._

 _...but, is that because of their own innate nature? Or because of the actions of a higher power?_

 _Hmhmhmhm... But of course, the answer is so painfully obvious._

 _You understand, don't you? The reason why humans are so feeble and weak, forced to rely on even greater powers._

 _It is because God wishes it._

 _Man is little more than a cosmic plaything. A toy to be played with by demons and gods alike._

 _Some would have the humans bow to them. Others would use them for their own benefit._

 _However, at times, when pushed to the brink, man develops an adversity capable of felling even the highest of divine powers._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 ** _...such is the nature of the foolish, yet terrifying race you know as humanity._**

* * *

LINK VRAINS was a mess. An entire portion of one of the many regions had been utterly demolished. Several buildings had been reduced to smoldering rubble, breaking apart into tiny fragments of data. Fires scorched the ground, consuming anything unfortunate enough to be swallowed by its flame. The cause behind such wanton destruction was a figure garbed in white, wearing a mask over the upper half of his face. He rode atop a fierce creature, machine in form but shaped like a dragon, armed with fangs and glowing orbs of malice. Before him were two people, one a girl with blue hair done in pigtails and another a male wearing a bodysuit.

"Who the hell are you?" the masked man, a Knight of Hanoi, snarled as he prepared to smash the fool who interrupted him with Cracking Dragon. "If you get in my way, I'll crush you!"

Unfazed by his taunt, the young man raised his arm, revealing the armlet around his wrist. "My name is Playmaker." he said calmly. "And I have what your looking for!" As if on cue, the orb in the center of the armlet changed color, revealing what looked almost like an eyeball, surrounded by black with purple circuits. "Unless you stop what your doing, I'll erase this Ignis program, right here and now!"

 _"What?!"_ the eye inside his Duel Disk proclaimed in a high pitched voice. _"Whoa, hey hey hey! What gives?! I thought you told me I was your savior or something?!"_

The Hanoi Knight's eyes widened. "The Ignis...?" he breathed. He couldn't believe his luck. He knew the AI was somewhere around here, having been forced out of hiding thanks to SOL Technologies data sweep, but for it to be right in front of him. He also recognized the name Playmaker from various reports. He was a duelist who had been a major pain in their side. Not only could he retrieve the Ignis, he could eliminate a problem in one fell swoop. On the side of caution, however, he sent out a distress program, calling for his allies. "Hand it over!"

"If you want it, you'll have to duel me for it!"

 _"What am I? A hostage?!"_ the Ignis complained, miffed about the whole situation. He had thought he had managed to escape, and was grateful to the guy for saving him...until he found out that he was permanently locked inside his Duel Disk and could be erased at a moment's notice. _He was more or less a prisoner now, and even a bargaining tool. "Also, are you crazy? I looked at your deck! You're screwed if you think you can beat that guy."_

Playmaker scoffed. "Then I suppose you better start praying, AI."

That seemed to tick the Ignis off, evident by a tick mark appearing while its eye curved downward. _"We AIs don't pray!"_ he said hostily. _"We calculate victory!"_ Well, if he was going to be used as a hostage, he might as well make sure this Playmaker kid survived. If he lost, he could kiss his sorry behind good-bye. His circuits flared, unlocking several firewalls before activating a singular program, allowing it to run wild. _"Releasing the Cyberse!"_

* * *

Elsewhere, inside LINK VRAINS, a lone figure standing not far away from the site of the battle that was about to ensue felt a breeze blow across her body, causing her red cloak to flap about.

"George."

 _"Large mass of data has been released from a singular point. Data confirms it belongs to the Cyberse."_ an electronic voice answered. _"An individual matching the description sent by Professor Stephen is also reported to be dueling a member of the Knights of Hanoi."_

"Then let's go."

 _"Understood. Initiating new mission, designated [Hanoi Interception.] I look forward to the successful completion of our mission."_

* * *

Not long after the Hanoi Knight chased after Playmaker, riding atop his D-Board and entering the first ever Speed Duel, a digital gate, encrypted in blue algorithms, manifested atop a roof overlooking the steady flow of data, making up the path for the duel. Emerging from the gates were three individuals, all of whom dressed in similar fashion. However, their masks were a different color: one red, one yellow and one green.

"There's the target." Red immediately saw Playmaker dueling with their comrade. Immediately, they proceeded to leap down, summoning their D-Boards and riding on the data stream. "Come on! We have to capture that Ignis! Surround that duelist!"

Before they could catch up with their comrade and join the duel, however, they were met with unexpected interference. Out of nowhere, a female figure leaped into view, surfing on a jet black D-Board with red markings. She charged straight at the three, forcing them to break off. Rather than stop, she circled around and came at them again. Quickly, Green tried to stop her and ram his D-Board into hers, only for the girl to maneuver around him, slipping past him and stopping not far in front of them. This allowed the three Knights of Hanoi to get a better look. She was wearing a skin-tight black suit with a silver bracer around her left wrist, marked by a blue sphere and a red cloak that came down to her ankles, flowing together with the wind along with her jet black hair. Over her face was a black mask, marked by red circuits and rectangular shapes meant to act as eyes.

"Who are you?!" Green demanded. "Are you with that Playmaker?!"

The woman didn't answer him. Instead, she raised her arm, looking at her bracer. _"Identifies confirmed."_ a voice belonging to an AI echoed. _"Targets belong to the Knights of Hanoi. Beginning hacking sequence."_ The sphere flickered dark crimson. At the same time, the Duel Disks on the wrists of the Knights of Hanoi also lit up, causing confusion among them before they saw that a Duel Field was initializing. _"Hacking successful. You will not be able to advance until after you have defeated us in a duel."_

Red scowled. "Annoying..." she said. "Fine then!" She raised her arm, as did the rest of her comrades. Together, they proclaimed,

 _ **SPEED DUEL**_

Mystery: LP 4000  
KoH Green: LP 4000  
KoH Red: LP 4000  
KoH Yellow: LP 4000

 _"According to data retrieved from Playmaker's current duel,"_ the AI told the woman. _"Speed Duels restrict players to having three Main Monster Zones and three Spell & Trap Zones. Each player begins with only four cards, rather than five. Additionally, there is no secondary Main Phase. This Speed Duel is recognized as a Battle Royal, therefore the Knights of Hanoi's Fields are stacked on top of each other."_

The woman nodded, grateful for this information before Green called out, "I take the first Turn! I activate the Spell Card Level Hack! I reveal a Monster in my Hand that is Level 5 or higher! I can then lower that Monster's Level by 2 for every card that I send to the Graveyard! I reveal the Level 8, Cracking Dragon! I send two cards in my Hand to the Graveyard! Therefore, it's treated as a Level 4 Monster! I Normal Summon Cracking Dragon from my Hand to the Field!"

A blue portal opened before him, allowing for a ferocious metal dragon to emerge from it, surrounded by sharp metal spikes floating above its glowing green orbs attached to its body. Upon arrival, it released a ferocious howl.

 **Cracking Dragon / DARK / Level 8 / Machine / Effect / ATK 3000 / DEF 0**

"Then I activate Level Hack's Effect from the Graveyard!" Green continued. "I target a Monster I control on the Field! Afterwards, all players draw a Monster with the same level as that Monster's original Level! I banish Level Hack from the Graveyard and target Cracking Dragon! Now, all of us adds a Level 8 Monster to our Hands!" The other two Knights of Hanoi didn't bother hiding their smirks as they added a monster card to their hand. The woman had a pretty good idea what it was, given the strategy Playmaker's opponent was using. "I end my Turn!"

"My Turn!" Red went next. "Draw! I activate the Spell Card Double Summon! I can perform two Normal Summons this Turn! I Normal Summon Mystery Shell Dragon from my Hand to the Field!"

Calling the creature a dragon that emerged from the blue portal would be misleading. It looked more like a crystal shaped like one. Poorly. Aside from jagged fangs in what looked like a maw and fierce red eyes, the woman regarded it as nothing more than a lump of rock.

 **Mystery Shell Dragon / DARK / Level 4 / Wyrm / Normal / ATK 2000 / DEF 0**

"If I have a DARK Monster out on the field, I can Special Summon Spam Worm from my Hand!"

Next to the crystal lump was a thin black worm, true to its name, with green circuits running along its body.

 **Spam Worm / DARK / Level 1 / Machine / Effect / ATK 300 / DEF 0**

"Afterwards, I tribute Spam Worm and Mystery Shell Dragon, Advance Summoning Cracking Dragon!" Red shouted. The two monsters dispersed into golden light, creating another portal and allowing another dragon to emerge, equally as ferocious. "Then I activate the Field Spell Card Mystic Plasma Zone! All DARK Attribute Monsters on the Field gain 500 ATK, but lose 400 DEF! Our Cracking Dragons both gain 500 ATK!"

 **Cracking Dragon(s): ATK 3000 + 500 = 3500**

"I set one card face-down and end my Turn!"

Yellow smirked. "And now it's my Turn! I send Cracking Dragon to the Graveyard and Special Summon Breach Worm!"

Another worm. This one longer, covered in dark yellow circuits. Also had a bladed tip at the end of its tail.

 **Breach Worm / DARK / Level 5 / Machine / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 0**

"Because it was Special Summoned, Breach Worm's ATK is halved."

 **Breach Worm: 2000 - 1000 = 1000**

"Then I activate the Spell Card Boost Hack! I can increase the Level of a Monster I have on the Field, and it gains 200 ATK for every Level it has after the increase! I increase Breach Worm's Level, making it Level 9 and bringing its ATK to 2800!"

 **Breach Worm: Level 5 + 4 = 9 / ATK 1000 + (9 X 200) = 2800**

"And then I activate the Spell Card Grave Hack! I can only activate it if I've got a DARK Attribute Monster out on the Field! I send a card in my hand to the Graveyard and Special Summon a Monster in my Graveyard who's Level is lower than that of a Monster on my Field! The only Monster I control is Breach Worm! And thanks to Boost Hack, it's treated as a Level 9 Monster! I Special Summon the Level 8 Cracking Dragon from my Graveyard!" A third metal dragon joined the fray. Together, the trio of iron beasts looked menacing. To the woman, however, they looked more like annoying oversized lizards. "I set a card face-down and end my Turn!"

 _"It would appear all members of the Knights of Hanoi, or at the very least their foot soldiers, use the same type of Deck."_ the AI told the woman. _"Are you sure you can handle this, Alex?"_

"That all depends. You know how to deal with these idiots, George?" Alex asked back.

If he could, George smiled. _"OK, Buddy. Setting up countermeasure plans."_

Through her mask, Alex saw the HUD screen in front of her bringing up several different plans and cards, all of which presented as variables. Among those was the one George highlighted, believing it to be the best path to victory, assuming the data was true. "My Turn." she announced, beginning the attack. "Draw! I summon Persona Herald - Michael!"

Rather than a blue gate, a ball of golden light appeared in front of her, exploding and releasing a stalwart figure dressed in gold armor, eyes fierce and a spear at the ready while stark white wings stretched out from his back.

 **Persona Herald - Michael / LIGHT / Level 4 / Herald / Effect / ATK 1800 / DEF 1800**

"Herald...?" Green questioned with a frown. "Persona? A new archtype?"

"Doesn't matter." Red said fiercely before she called out, "Cracking Dragon's Effect activates! When you summon one Monster on your Field while its on the Field, that Monster's ATK is reduced by 200 for every Level it has! Afterwards, you take damage equal to the ATK points that Monster loses!"

 _"Michael is Level 4."_ George said. _"Therefore, it loses 800 ATK. However, as there are three Cracking Dragons present on the field, each belonging to a different opponent, his ATK is reduced to 0. We take 1800 damage."_

The three dragons opened their maws, revealing a gaping hole that began to fill with energy. Michael readied his spear, moving in front of Alex to protect her. Together, they fired off a stream of green energy. Though Michael shielded her, Alex gritted her teeth as her Avatar sustained damage.

 **Persona Herald - Michael: ATK 1800 -1800 = 0**

Alex: LP 4000 - 1800 = 2200

Yet the pain meant nothing to her. Compared to her battle with Shayton or Zeus, this pain was insignificant. "When Michael is successfully Normal Summoned, I can add a Ritual Monster to my Hand." she said, surprising the three as she added the card in question to her Hand. "I activate the Ritual Magic, Descent of the Heralds!"

 _"Descent of the Heralds allows the player to Ritual Summon a Herald-type Ritual Monster, so long as the Level of the Materials is equal or greater than the Ritual Monster in question."_

"I tribute Persona Herald - Michael and Persona Herald - Uriel!"

 _"Beginning Ritual Summoning."_

Below Alex, a circle appeared. Within this circle were a set of lines, forming into a pentagram. At each point of the pentagram were lit flames. Beside Michael was another winged warrior, garbed in crimson red armor and armed with a sword. Both became consumed in flames, falling into the circle and forming into a spire. As the flames passed, it revealed a new monster. To the onlooker, it would look utterly breath taking. It had four faces, all black with red eyes and horns on the left and rightmost faces. Its body was composed entirely of golden wings, curled all around it.

 _"Ritual Summon Complete."_ George announced. _"Level 8, Persona Herald - Seraph, is placed into Defense Position."_

 **Persona Herald - Seraph / LIGHT / Level 8 / Herald / Ritual / Effect / ATK 1800 / DEF 3000**

 _"Cracking Dragon's Effect activates again."_ George warned Alex. _"Thankfully, Seraph's ATK is the same as Michael's."_

True to his word, the dragons released another blast. Alex was struck again, stumbling somewhat as her board wavered.

 **Persona Herald - Seraph: ATK 1800 - 1800 = 0**

Alex: LP 2200 - 1800 = 400

"That Effect is going to be a pain." she remarked as she dusted off her coat. "George. What're our chances here, if we stick to the plan?"

 _"Our chances of victory stand at approximately 87%."_ George answered her honestly. _"And that is based on the best case scenario."_

"Good enough. If I take any damage that takes 1000 or more Life Points and I control a Ritual, Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Monster, I can Special Summon Persona Fairy - Pixie from my Hand in Defense Position!"

At Alex's declaration, sparkling lights lit up around her, forming into a tiny little feminine figure in a blue leotard and stockings with red hair.

 **Persona Fairy - Pixie / LIGHT / Level 4 / Fairy / Effect / ATK 0 / DEF 1800**

At the mention of Pixie's Summoning Condition, Red frowned. "Fusion? Synchro? Xyz?" she wondered briefly. "What kind of Monsters are those?"

"Doesn't matter!" Yellow smirked. "Cracking Dragon'll finish her off here!"

Green sighed, shaking his head. "No, it won't."

"What?! Why not?!"

 _"Even though Pixie is a Level 4 Monster, her ATK is 0."_ George stated to Yellow, stunning him. _"Therefore, even if you used Cracking Dragon's Effect, Pixie's ATK will not decrease. Nor will Alex take any damage."_

"Idiot." Alex insulted the man. "You don't even understand the Effect of your own Monster? You really are nothing more than a grunt." Yellow growled, glaring at her intensely. Unfazed, Alex continued forward with her Turn. "If Pixie was Special Summoned, my opponent takes 1000 points of damage!" Surprising the three Knights of Hanoi, Pixie grinned mischievously as she held out her hands, holding a flurry of sparks in between her hands before she sent it straight at them. The result was them being shocked, nearly thrown off their D-Boards in the process. "Afterwards, I add a card from the bottom of my deck to my Hand."

Knights of Hanoi: LP 4000 - 1000 = 3000

Red grimaced, shaking off the damage before revealing her face-down. "I activate the Trap Card Damage Hack! If I take damage while I have a DARK Attribute Machine-Type Monster on the field, you take damage equal to the damage I took! Afterwards, I gain Life Points of equal amount!"

 _"Persona Herald - Seraph's Effect."_ George intervened. _"For the Effect to activate, one Persona Monster in the player's hand must be discarded. At least three times each Turn, Seraph can negate the activation of a Spell or Trap Card. Afterwards, that card is destroyed. "_

"In other words, Damage Hack's effect is negated and is destroyed." Alex finished as the golden angel created a sword of light, which pierced the card and shattered it to pieces. "I set one card face-down, and end my Turn." Taking the moment to process the situation, she consulted with her AI. "If things go south, do you have any back up plans?"

 _"Is that worry I detect in your voice?"_ George asked. Alex almost thought he was teasing. _"Don't worry. The mission will succeed. After all, your Skill is ready for use, isn't it?"_

Alex smiled beneath her helmet. "True."

"It's my Turn!" Green announced. Before he began his turn in earnest, he looked up ahead. Even though he couldn't quite see the Field of his comrade, he could easily tell that things were quickly going south for him. Unless they defeated this woman quickly, Playmaker would escape. With that in mind, he raised his arm. "I activate my Skill: Double Draw! During the Draw Phase, I add 2 cards to my Hand rather than one! Draw! I activate the Spell Card DDoS Attack! I target a Machine-Type Monster I control on the Field, and afterwards send as many DDoS Attack Spell Cards in my Deck to the Graveyard as I want! For every Level that Monster has, you take 100 points of damage times the number of DDoS Attack Spell Cards I sent to the grave! I target Cracking Dragon and send two copies of DDoS Attack to the Graveyard! Therefore, you take 1600 damage!"

"Don't think so!" Alex cut in. "Persona Fairy - Pixie's Effect activates!"

 _"If the player would take more than 500 points of damage, they gain 500 Life Points."_ George stated. _"In addition, we activate the Continuous Trap Persona Bead. This card can only be activated if there is a "Persona" Monster we control on the Field. Any damage dealt is halved. Additionally, once per turn, each "Persona" Monster we control cannot be destroyed by battle."_

Yet, even so, Alex was going to take the hit. When it came right at her in a singular bolt, fired off from Cracking Dragon's maw, she winced. Had this been done to a demon, they would have likely been irritated. She certainly felt as much. Opponents using the same type of Deck were a real pain, yet at the same time so easily predictable.

Alex: LP 400 + 500 - (( 100) / 2) = 100

Green scowled. "So you survived, huh?" he said, slightly impressed. "Then, how about this? I activate the Equip Spell Air Cracking Storm! It can only be Equipped to a Machine-Type Monster! I Equip it to Cracking Dragon! As of now, when Cracking Dragon successfully destroys a Monster, it can declare a second attack!" As the blue colored blaster became attached to the top of the dragon's head, it released a loud roar, glaring at Alex. "BATTLE! I attack Persona Fairy - Pixie with Cracking Dragon!"

"Not happening." Alex cut him off. "Pixie can't be targeted so long as there's another Persona Monster on my Field."

"Then I target your Persona Herald - Seraph!" Energy charged in its mouth while the blaster began to warm up, sparks of electricty dancing around the two points before they released a single blast together, sending it straight at Alex's Seraph. Upon contact, an explosion created a giant plume of smoke that covered the area. Green was sure that he had managed to accomplish victory, but that feeling soon vanished when he saw Seraph still present on the field. "What?!"

"Did you already forget?" Alex said in mockery. "Persona Bead prevents the destruction of any Persona Monster I control at least once per Turn."

Green bit his lip, hand tightening as frustration set in. "...I end my Turn here. Sorry. I wasn't able to finish her off."

"Don't worry." Red assured him. "I'll take her down! It's my Turn! Draw!" As she drew her card, the female Knight of Hanoi raised her arm as the colored markings on her arm glowed. "I activate my Skill: Double Destroy! By sending a card in my Hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy two cards on your Field! I send the card I drew to the grave and destroy your Persona Bead and Persona Herald - Seraph!" A bolt of blue thunder crashed down upon Alex's field, reducing both of the aforementioned cards into shards. Alex didn't seem too bothered by it. If anything, this was going as planned so far. "BATTLE! I attack Persona Fairy - Pixie with Cracking Dragon!"

Alex snorted. "You rely too much on that oversized piece of junk. I activate Persona Bead's Effect from the Graveyard!"

 _"While Persona Bead is in the Graveyard and if a "Persona" Monster on the Field would be threatened with destruction, this card can be banished and negate the destruction of that Monster."_ Cracking Dragon let loose a powerful blast, aimed straight at the fairy. Interceding it, however, was a barrier, protecting it and dismissing the blast as if it had never existed. _"Persona Bead is banished, and Pixie's destruction is negated."_

Red scowled angrily. "I end my Turn." she said reluctantly. "Dammit. She's a tough bug."

"We gotta finish this quick before our buddy gets wiped out." Yellow said before shouting, "It's my Turn now! Draw!" As he took his card, he glared maliciously at Alex. "You've got no more cards to play, little girl! You're finished!"

"You sure about that?" Alex scoffed. "I activate Persona Herald - Mastema's Effect from my Hand!"

 _"By discarding Mastema, a Persona card on the Field gains 1000 ATK and cannot be destroyed this Turn."_ George explained. _"As Pixie is the only monster on the Field that is a Persona Monster, she receives its Effect. Afterwards, the player adds a card from the bottom of their deck to the hand."_ As Alex tossed the card into her Graveyard pile and grabbed a new card from her Deck, black feathers began to fall around Pixie, who grinned as electricity flowed around her.

 **Persona Fairy - Pixie: ATK 0 + 1000 = 1000**

Rather than look worried, Yellow looked utter delighted. "Was hoping you'd have something up your sleeve!" he said with a grin. "Unfortunately for you, I have a back-up for you! I activate Breach Worm's Effect! By banishing it, I can let one DARK Machine-Type Monster on my Field attack you directly!" Breach Worm let out a screech, borrowing itself into Cracking Dragon, who roared in protest as the creature burrowed itself into its being, though the bladed tip remained and became a horn on the metal rodent's brow. "BATTLE! Cracking Dragon attacks you directly!"

"Pixie's Effect activates, increasing my LP by 500!" Alex interrupted him as the fairy danced around her, sprinkling her in flakes of gold.

Alex: 100 + 500 = 600

Her futile attempt made Yellow laugh. "What can you possibly do with that much?" he said. "It's over for you! We'll erase you here and that Ignis will be ours!"

 _"No, you will not."_ George said fiercely, catching the three of guard. _"We will complete the mission. Alex!"_

The woman nodded, throwing an arm out. "From the Graveyard, I activate Persona Jirae - Hua Po's Effect!" she called out. "By paying 500 Life Points, I can Special Summon her to the Field!" Just as Cracking Dragon prepared to fire off another blast, this one ready to finish her off, a new fairy appeared, this one with bright red skin and blonde pigtails with embers trailing behind her.

 **Persona Jirae - Hua Po / FIRE / Level 2 / Jirae / Effect / ATK 400 / DEF 200**

 _"When Special Summoned from the Graveyard this way, and if the player is targeted for a direct attack, that attack is negated."_ George finished. Cracking Dragon released another blast. And like before, it was deflected, courtesy of a wall of fire erected by the tiny red girl. _"Additionally, if the player would take any damage below 500, the damage is reduced to zero. Therefore, Cracking Dragon's Effect only reduces her ATK."_

 **Persona Jirae - Hua Po: ATK 400 - 400 = 0**

Yellow scowled, balling his fist in anger as the red fairy snickered, even as its ATK points were lowered. "Annoying wench...!" he said before raising his arm into the air. "In that case, I activate the Skill: Double Attack! I send a card in my Hand to the Graveyard and target a Monster that attacked during the Battle Phase, allowing it attack again! I'll toss the card I drew and allow Cracking Dragon to attack you again directly!"

"I activate Hua Po's Effect!" Alex interrupted. "When my opponent declares an attack, I can negate it and switch all monsters my opponent controls into Defense Position! Afterwards, I tribute it!"

Hua Po smirked before becoming engulfed in crimson fire, darting around the three Knights of Hanoi's dragons, forcing them to back off and pull away, causing a blue aura to surround them. Yellow gnashed his teeth together, threatening to crack his molars from the pressure. "I..." he seethed. "I end my Turn..."

"Then it's my Turn. Draw!"

* * *

Playmaker's Duel with the Knight of Hanoi was not the only one being broadcasted and viewed by the citizens of Den City. Throughout the entire area, anyone near a monitor or plugged into the net saw Alex dueling against three of them at once. The crowd was enthralled and cheering for the two to defeat them and protect LINK VRAINS. The same could be said for those in LINK VRAINS who were watching the duel take place, who were literally on edge just from seeing how close the duel was.

One such group was in the real world, situated in a rather strangely decorated van with a ghost smoking a cigar painted on the front with a speech bubble reading "Spooky!" In the van, two people were watching the duel unfold, one filled with unease and the other calmly working on his terminal.

"Is she going to be okay?" the girl asked. "I mean, she's up against three guys at once."

"She'll be fine." the boy assured her. "This is Alex we're talking about. Besides, she's got George with her. The odds of her losing are next to none."

* * *

"Are we set to go, George?"

 _"Your Skill is ready for execution, Buddy."_

She smiled. "OK, Buddy." She proceeded to raise her arm, which then became lined with dark red circuits. "I activate the Skill: Inversion of Fate! I can only activate this Skill if have 1000 Life Points or lower! For the rest of this Turn, whenever I add a card from my deck to my hand, I place a card from my deck to the bottom of my deck! Then I activate the Continuous Spell Destiny Overwritten!

 _"When Destiny Overwritten is activated, the player places one card from their deck to the bottom."_ George explained its effect. _"If the player takes damage, the player can declare the name of a card. Afterwards, the player must reveal the card at the bottom of their Deck. If the card's name is the same as the one declared, then the damage is negated and that card is sent to the Graveyard."_

True to form, Alex placed a card to the bottom of her Deck. As she did, however, she continued forward. "I then Normal Summon Persona Demon - Trumpeter from my Hand!"

A black haze formed in front of her. When it parted, it revealed a ghastly figure garbed in a white robe, holding in its hands a beautiful golden trumpet. It would have been mistaken for an angel, given its beautiful white wings, but its face was that of a ghastly bleached skull.

 **Persona Demon - Trumpeter / DARK / Level 4 / Fiend / Effect / ATK 1500 / DEF 700**

"Did you forget about our Cracking Dragon's Effect?!"

Alex snorted. "Of course I haven't. That's why I'm activating Destiny Overwritten! The card I declare is Persona Tyrant - Mithras!" A card popped out from the bottom of her deck. "And the card at the bottom of my deck..." She pulled it out and revealed it for the three to see, revealing a pale white humanoid figure holding a vajra emerging out from a lump of rock. "...is Persona Tyrant - Mithras!"

 _"As the bottom card has the same name as the one the player declared, the damage dealt by Cracking Dragon's Effect is hereby negated."_

"But your monster still loses its ATK!" Red reminded as the three Cracking Dragons opened their mouths, firing off a green blast. In response, Trumpeter blew on his horn, creating a soundwave that destroyed the blasts prematurely.

 **Persona Demon - Trumpeter: ATK 1500 - 1500 = 0**

Alex didn't care much for it. Whether or not her Monster had any ATK was not her concern. At least, not right now. "I activate Trumpeter's Effect!"

 _"When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, the player can Special Summon a Persona Monster that is Level 4 or lower in Defense Position. During the End Phase, that card is banished."_

"I Special Summon Persona Herald - Uriel from the Graveyard!" In another burst of golden light, the red armored angel returned, spreading its wings and preparing its sword. Once again, the three metal dragons prepared to attack it and demolish the last of her life points. "I activate Persona Tyrant - Mithras' Effect!"

 _"When this card is in the Graveyard and the player would take damage, the player can banish this card and negate the damage, adding 1 card from the bottom of their deck to their hand."_ George informed. Of course, this didn't prevent the dragon's from reducing Urie's ATK.

 **Persona Herald - Uriel / LIGHT / Level 4 / Herald / Effect / ATK 1600 - 1600 = 0 / DEF 1600**

"When Uriel is Special Summoned, I can add a Ritual Spell from my Deck to my Hand! Thanks to Inversion of Fate, a card from my Deck is also sent to the bottom of my deck!" Alex stated. "And now I activate the Ritual Spell Ascent of the Heralds!"

 _"Ascent of the Heralds allows the player to perform a Ritual Summon of a Ritual Herald-Type Monster that is currently in the player's Graveyard by banishing one or more monsters in her Graveyard, who's total Levels equal or are greater than the Ritual Monster."_

"I banish Persona Herald - Seraph and use it as a material!"

 _"Beginning Ritual Summoning."_

Another circle appeared below Alex, lined by a pentagram and flames. The golden winged angel known as Seraph simply fell into it, bursting into flames. From the resulting explosion, black feathers began to float about. Emerging from the circle in white light was a rather handsome figure with raven black hair and pale skin, the upper half of his face hidden by a white mask while raven black wings stretched out from behind him.

 _"Ritual Summoning Complete. Level 8, Persona Herald - Mastema is summoned in Attack Position."_

 **Persona Herald - Mastema / LIGHT / Level 8 / Herald / Ritual / Effect / ATK 3000 / DEF 1800**

"3000 ATK?!" Green exclaimed in worry before he acted. "I activate Cracking Dragon's Effect!"

Okay, this was just getting really annoying. Really, did they always have to rely on that oversized metal lizard for everything? It was like their deck was built around it. An effective strategy, sure, but at some point someone would find a way to get rid of it. Just as she was about to do. "I activate Destiny Overwritten again! Persona Vile - Bephomet!"

Alex proceeded to draw a card from the bottom of her deck and reveal it, showing a card with a goat-headed being with a flame lit atop its horn and sitting cross legged. _"The card drawn from the bottom of the Deck is Persona Vile - Bephomet. Destiny Overwritten successfully activates, sending this card to the Graveyard and negating damage dealt by Cracking Dragon's Effect."_

Three more blasts, all of which intercepted and repelled, albeit not without Mastema losing a few feathers. Alex wouldn't lie, she actually enjoyed the sight. She never liked that damn angel.

 **Persona Herald - Mastema: ATK 3000 - 3000 = 0**

"I activate Bephomet's Effect from the Graveyard!"

 _"When this card is in the Graveyard, the player can banish it and target one face-up Persona Monster they control. That card's ATK is then raised by its original ATK value."_

"I target Mastema, raising its ATK points back to normal!" Alex called. At this moment, a phantom image of Bephomet appeared behind Mastema, raising its hands and turning itself into a ghostly flame, consuming Mastema, who promptly flapped his wings as dark light began to circulate around him.

Yellow promptly turned her efforts around as he shouted rather loudly, "I activate my Trap Card Pulse Mines! If I control a Machine Monster, I can switch all Monsters you control into Defense Position!"

Alex frowned slightly. Before she could consult with her partner, her HUD was already shifting, highlighting another route she could take. She promptly smiled, thanking George before continuing further with her Turn. She raised her arm overhead, sparks dancing around her palm. "Manifest, the circuit that reveals possibility!" she shouted as the sparks shot out from her hand and into the air, forming into a square-shaped ring, lined with red cursors.

 _"Arrowheads confirmed."_ George said. _"Requirements for Link Summoning are two Persona Monsters. Setting Persona Herald - Uriel and Persona Demon - Trumpeter into the Link Arrows. Beginning Circuit Combination..."_

The skull-faced angel and Uriel were engulfed in brilliant spinning winds, composed of light: one red and one black. They shot upward, slamming straight into the cursors. The circuit was consumed by a ball of light before it expanded and released, revealing a new monster that rode the winds of Cyberse. It was garbed in black with golden bracers and boots, sharp blades attached to the armaments, as if mimicking wings. Its head was covered by a pointed helmet, small metal wings decorating the sides.

 _"Link Summon Successful. Link 2, Persona Avatar - Hermes."_

 **Persona Avatar - Hermes / WIND / LA: Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right / Avatar / Link / Effect / ATK 1800 / LINK - 2**

"A Link Monster?!" Red exclaimed in shock. "She had a Link Monster, all this time?! I thought her Deck specialized in Ritual Summoning?!"

Alex snorted. "You guys really are idiots." she insulted, causing them to bristle in anger. "It doesn't matter. This Duel is over for you."

"Don't tell me you think you can win with that?!" Yellow asked, laughing in amusement. "Did you forget there are three of us?! Also, that little fairy can't beat any of us!"

"Who said I was going to finish you with him?" she asked, causing them to freeze. Without further interruption, Alex continued with her Turn. "I activate Hermes' Effect!"

George then explained Hermes' Effect, as was his apparent job. _"When successfully Link Summoned, the player can Special Summon a Persona Monster in their Graveyard with its Effects sealed and its ATK and DEF reduced to zero."_

"I Special Summon Persona Jirae - Hua Po from the Graveyard!" Once more, the tiny red-skinned fairy emerged unto the field, smiling all the while. Alex raised her arm into the air again, calling upon the circuit from before. "Manifest again, the circuit that reveals possibility!"

Green recoiled. "Again?!"

 _"Arrowheads confirmed. Requirements for Link Summoning are approximately three or more Persona Monsters. Setting Persona Jirae - Hua Po, Persona Herald - Mastema and Persona Avatar - Hermes into the Link Arrows. Beginning Circuit Combination..."_

Like before, the monsters became twisters of power, slamming into the cursors. The circuit was then engulfed in light, though unlike before when Hermes emerged and began to glide through the winds, this monster rode them. It was a bizarre sight, being a mix between creature and human. The lower half was that of a stingray, dark blue with metal armor covering its fins. The thin tail on its rear body was serrated, resembling a blade. The upper half was humanoid with dark blue skin and white tribal markings, a pauldron atop its left shoulder and a three pronged trident in hand. Its face was covered by a jet black mask, but flowing from its scalp was black hair with streaks of sea blue.

 _"Link Summon Successful. Link 4, Persona Deity - Poseidon."_

 **Persona Deity - Poseidon / WATER / LA: Top-Left, Top, Top-Right, Bottom / Deity / Link / Effect / ATK 3000 / LINK - 4**

 _"Persona Avatar - Hermes' Effect activates upon leaving the field."_ George informed. _"The player draws a card from the bottom of their deck and adds it to their hand. Inversion of Fate also activates, adding a card from the deck to the bottom."_

The deck shifted about, moving cards and allowing Alex to take one. "Let's finish this, George."

 _"OK, Buddy."_ George said in agreement.

The statement put the three Knights of Hanoi on edge. Did she intend to finish them off here? How? Red was the first to figure out Alex's apparent strategy. One of the biggest advantages of a Link Monster was its effects. Some effects could only be used when its Link Arrows were pointing to a card, be it one the player controlled or one of their opponent's cards. Because their fields were overlapped, all three Cracking Dragons were technically in the same Monster Zone. Realizing this, she promptly acted quickly. "I won't let you do whatever it is you have in mind!" she said. "I banish Route Worm from my Graveyard to activate its Effect! When my opponent Special Summons a Link Monster, I can move it to a different Monster Zone!"

 _"Not possible."_ George informed. _"If Persona Deity - Poseidon was Special Summoned with a Ritual, Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Monster as a Material, it is unaffected by card Effects. Furthermore, it cannot be destroyed in battle once per Turn."_

Green caught on to Red's plan and promptly acted as well. "In that case, I activate the Effect of Route Worm from my Graveyard! I can activate this Effect during either player's Turn! By banishing it, I can move all Machine-Type Monsters on the Field to different Monster Zones!"

The dragons shifted positions, moving past each other. According to her HUD, they were now outside of Poseidon's range. She smirked. They were good...but not good enough.

"From my Hand, I activate the Spell Card Winds of Destiny!" she announced. "I can only activate this card if I have a Persona Monster on the Field and if I have 1000 Life Points or lower! By sending a card in my Hand to the Graveyard, I can target any number of Monsters my opponent controls and move them to a different Monster Zone!" Immediately, the three Knights of Hanoi knew what was coming, shown by the irritation on their faces as Cracking Dragon - all three of them - was moved to a single Monster Zone: the one directly in front of Poseidon's Link Arrow.

 _"Persona Deity - Poseidon's Effect."_ George told the three duelists. _"When this card battles a monster next to its Link Arrow and successfully destroys it, the opponent is dealt 1000 points of damage._ _Additionally, it is capable of declaring one attack on each opponent's monster it points to._ _Poseidon is also capable of dealing piercing damage."_

"W-what?!" Yellow cried in shock.

The three now realized it.

They had lost the Duel.

"BATTLE!" Alex roared, aiming her hand at the three and closing her palm, forming a fist. "Poseidon! Destroy Cracking Dragon! **_Cold World Torrent!_** "

Poseidon's stingray shifted, soon charging straight at the three Cracking Dragons, who in a final act of defiance opened their maws and charged up to fire another blast. However, the demon was faster, as it reared back its trident. Its body shifted into one of water, losing its shape. Then, in a single moment, faster than the human eye could track, it struck them all at once. Water slashed straight through them, leaving behind a gaping hole in their stomachs. As the body of water reformed into Poseidon, who twirled his trident in victory, the dragons' bodies soon turned into giant pieces of ice.

Then they exploded, knocking the three Knights of Hanoi off their D-Boards and sent them screaming, though thankfully they landed in various areas that were less likely to kill them.

They were probably hurting like hell, though.

Knights of Hanoi: LP 3000 - 3000 = 0

WINNER: Alex

 _"[Hanoi Interception], successfully carried out."_ George said as Alex leaped off her D-Board, landing atop a rooftop. _"Mission complete. You did well in your first actual Duel, Alex."_

Alex smiled thinly. "That was because I had you, Buddy." she said affectionately. In all honesty, she would have doubted she could have defeated all three of them by herself. George's assistance had been invaluable. In a way, she was technically cheating, getting assistance from an AI. But given her mission, who was she to care about rules? She looked off to the side and found Playmaker, safely atop another roof. As there was no Knight of Hanoi around, she guessed he had successfully defeated his opponent. "George, is that him?"

 _"Confirming..."_ A second passed before George spoke again. _"Identification complete. Large traces of Cyberse code are present in that Duel Avatar. Additionally, I detect the presence of a highly advanced artificial intelligence lifeform. There is no doubt about it. We have our man."_

"Playmaker..." Alex said slowly, narrowing her eyes. "Fujiki, Yusaku..."

 _"Warning. I detect several Security Drones heading this way."_

"That's fine. We already confirmed what we needed to know, anyway." She raised her bracer, creating a holographic keyboard before she inputed a few keys. Then, her body promptly disappeared, breaking apart into blue pieces of polygons.

* * *

 _"Tch. Looks like Revolver's boys weren't able to retrieve the Ignis."_

 _"What's more, that red-caped kid got in the way again. First time I've seen her Duel, though. She's pretty good."_

 _"It doesn't matter. It is only a matter of time before the Ignis is retrieved. Finnegan, how goes preparations?"_

 _"So far so good. Only a matter of time before we find out where those damn brats are hiding."_

 _"Good. No matter what... We will not allow anyone to hinder the revival of Manitou."_

* * *

The process of Log Out was not something Alex liked. She likened it to when she traveled back in time and entered the Schwarzwelt. It felt like her mind and body had been disconnected, causing a dissonance in feeling. At one point, she felt like her body had been skinned alive, burned and then sliced apart with serrated saws. Then her brain processed the situation of being ripped apart and being put back together, leaving behind a whole new experience of pain. It lasted for only a second, but the discomfort was enough to leave Alex a mess for at least a few days before she regained enough strength to set out on her mission.

Her mind was now returned to her body in the real world. She slumped up against the wall behind her, panting as sweat dripped from her body. "Damn I hate that," she voiced her discomfort. She was inside a small room, meant to house one's body as they were entering LINK VRAINS. A pod of sorts, albeit one crafted from scrapped parts and left a mess, what with the numerous amounts of wires sticking out and running all over the place.

Alex's body in the real world was different than her avatar, which was modeled to look like her true appearance. She looked a year younger, hair slightly shorter and coming up over her shoulders. She wore a red leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up with a black tank top exposing her midriff. Below, she wore denim jeans with several tears all across the front, complete with black boots. Attached to her wrist was her silver bracer.

The pod opened up, allowing her to step out. "You're okay!" a girl said in relief. She looked to be around Alex's age, wearing a plain white shirt underneath a red carbon vest with a black plaid skirt and brown boots, her hair the color of chesnut, reaching to her shoulders. "I'm so glad...!"

"I told you she'd be fine." a boy near the terminal at the very back of the room said. He looked like some sort of punk, bearing a crew-cut with a small black fringe and a band-aid underneath his eye with goggles on his forehead. He wore a green jacket over a black shirt that read "HaCK oR DiE" along with faded jeans and sneakers. While he had a grin on his face, he did look just as concerned as the girl. "You okay, though? That looked pretty close."

"I'm fine, Cage." Alex told him with a smirk. "Those Hanoi idiots were pushovers."

"Heh..." the brown-haired girl giggled. "That's our Alex. Always the cool one."

"Hey, she's a proud member of the great hacker group Spookies." the boy called Cage said with a grin. "There's no way she wouldn't have been able to pull that off. So, did you find our guy?"

"Yeah, I did. Our lead from Stephen's finally shown himself."

Cage smirked. "It's about effin' time."

* * *

 **MISSION TERMINATED...**

* * *

 _NEXT ASSIGNMENT:_

 _Alex, a girl who fought to change the course of her future, had been tasked by a man known as Stephen to change the fate of another world. One where man used the ancient arts created by the Pharaohs. How did she come across her allies? This Cage and Hitomi? And who is the group who seeks to revive the entity known as Manitou?_

 _MISSION_02:Spook_ies_

 _I look forward to the successful completion of our mission._

* * *

Card Information:

Monsters:

Spam Worm / DARK / Level 1 / Machine / Effect / ATK 300 / DEF 0 / If you control a face-up DARK monster: You can Special Summon this card from your hand.

Breach Worm / DARK / Level 5 / Machine / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 0 / You can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card was Special Summoned, its ATK is halved. You can tribute this card to target 1 DARK Machine-Type Monster you control; That target can attack your opponent's LP directly this turn.

Persona Herald – Michael / LIGHT / Level 4 / Herald / Effect / ATK 1800 / DEF 1800 / If this card is Normal Summoned: You can add 1 Herald-Type Ritual Monster from your deck to your hand. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: You can Special Summon 1 "Persona" Monster from your hand.

Persona Herald – Seraph / LIGHT / Level 8 / Herald / Ritual / Effect / ATK 1800 / DEF 3000 / You can Ritual Summon this card with "Descent of the Heralds". You can discard this card to target 1 "Persona" Monster you control; That target is unaffected by and cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects until the end of this turn, also, add 1 card from the bottom of your deck to your hand. Up to thrice per turn: If your opponent activates the effect of a Spell/Trap Card; You can discard 1 "Persona" Monster from your hand; Negate the activation of that card, and if you do, destroy it.

Persona Fairy - Pixie / LIGHT / Level 4 / Fairy / Effect / ATK 0 / DEF 1800 / If you take battle or effect damage that is 1000 or greater while this card is in your hand and you control a face-up "Persona" Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster: You can activate this effect; Special Summon this card, and if you do, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent's LP and add 1 card from the bottom of your deck to your hand. Cannot be targeted for attacks while you control another "Persona" monster, also, any time you would take damage that is greater than 500: Gain 500 LP.

Persona Herald – Mastema / LIGHT / Level 8 / Herald / Ritual / Effect / ATK 3000 / DEF 1800 / You can Ritual Summon this card with "Descent of the Heralds". You can discard this card to target 1 "Persona" Monster you control; Until the end of this turn, that target gains 1000 ATK and cannot be destroyed by battle, also, add 1 card from the bottom of your deck to your hand. This card can make up to 2 attacks per Battle-Phase. Up to twice per turn: You can discard 1 card from your hand to target 1 card on the field: Destroy that target, and if you do, place 1 card from your GY on the bottom of your deck.

Persona Jirae - Hua-Po / DARK / Level 2 / Jirae / Effect / ATK 400 / DEF 200 / If an opponent's monster declares a direct attack while this card is in your hand or GY: You can pay 500 LP; Special Summon this card, and if you do, negate that attack, also, banish this card when it leaves the field. You take no damage less than 500. If an opponent's monster declares an attack: You can tribute this card; Negate that attack, and if you do, change all monsters your opponent controls to face-up defense position.

Persona Demon – Trumpeter / WIND / Level 4 / Fiend / Effect / ATK 1500 / DEF 700 / If this card is Normal Summoned Successfully: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower "Persona" Monster in your GY: Special Summon it in face-up defense position, but banish it during the End-Phase of this turn. You can banish this card from your GY; Place 1 "Persona" Monster from your deck onto the bottom of your deck.

Persona Tyrant - Mithra / LIGHT / Level 2 / Tyrant / Effect / ATK 400 / DEF 2000 / You can tribute this card: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Tyrant-Type monster from your deck. (You an only use this effect of Persona Herald Mithra once per turn). If you would take battle or effect damage while this card is in your GY: You can banish this card; Negate the damage, and if you do, add 1 card from the bottom of your deck to your hand.

Persona Vile - Baphomet / DARK / Level 8 / Vile / Effect / ATK 1600 / DEF 2600 / You can Special Summon this card (From your hand) by tributing 1 "Persona" Monster you control. Once per turn, you can target 1 "Persona" Monster you control; Increase its Level by up to 4. You can banish this card from your GY to target 1 "Persona" monster you control; Increase its ATK by its original ATK until the end of this turn, also, add 1 card from the bottom of your deck to your hand.

Persona Avatar - Hermes / WIND / LA: Bottom Left, Bottom Right / Avatar / Link / Effect / ATK 1800 / LINK - 2 / 2 "Persona" Monsters / If this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 "Persona" Monster in your GY; Special Summon it, ignoring its summoning conditions, to a Monster Zone this card points to, with its effects negated and its ATK and DEF changed to 0. If this card is sent from the Field to the GY: You can add 1 card from the bottom of your deck to your hand.

Persona Deity - Poseidon / WATER / LA: Upper Right, Top, Upper Left, Bottom / Deity / Link / Effect / ATK 3000 / LINK - 4 / 3+ Persona Monsters / If this card was Link Summoned using any Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monsters as Material, it is unaffected by your opponent's card effects, and cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn. This card can attack each of your opponent's monsters it points to, once each. This card inflicts piercing Battle Damage. If this card destroys a monster it points to by battle: Inflict 1000 damage to your opponent's LP.

Frag Worm / DARK / Level 1 / Machine / Effect / ATK 600 / DEF 0 / You can discard this card: Add 1 Level 1 DARK Machine-Type Monster from your deck to your hand. If your opponent Special Summons a Link Monster: You can banish this card from your GY; Move that monster to a Main Monster Zone of your choice on your opponent's field.

Route Worm / DARK / Level 1 / Machine / Effect / ATK 0 / DEF 2000 / You can discard this card from your hand; Add 1 Level 1 DARK Machine-Type Monster from your GY to your hand. (You can only use this effect of "Route Worm" once per turn). During either player's turn: You can banish this card from your GY; Move all Machine-Type monsters on the field to different monster zones of your choice on their respective controller's fields.

Spells:

Level Hack / Spell / Normal / Reveal 1 Level 5 or higher monster in your hand; Discard any number of cards in your hand to reduce the Level of that revealed monster in the hand by 2 for each card discarded. You can banish this card from your GY to target 1 Level 5 or higher monster you control: Both players add 1 monster from their deck to their hand with the same Level as the original Level of that monster.

Boost Hack / Spell / Normal / Target 1 DARK Machine-Type monster you control: Increase its Level by 4 (Max. 12), and if you do, that monster gains ATK equal to its Level X 200.

Grave Hack / Spell / Normal / Activate only if you control a face-up DARK Machine-Type monster: Discard 1 card to target 1 DARK Machine-Type monster you control; Special Summon 1 DARK Machine-Type Monster from your GY whose Level is lower than the Level of the target.

Ascent of the Heralds / Spell / Ritual / Ritual Summon 1 Herald-Type Monster from your GY by banishing 1 or more monsters from your GY whose Total Levels equal the Level of the monster being summoned.

Decent of the Heralds / Spell / Ritual / This card can be used to Ritual Summon any Herald-Type monster. You must also tribute monsters you control or in your hand whose total Levels equal the Level of the monster being Ritual Summoned. If a "Persona" monster you control would be destroyed: You can place this card from your GY on the bottom of your deck, and if you do, negate the destruction of that monster.

Destiny Overwritten / Spell / Continuous / When this card is activated: You can place 1 card from your deck on the bottom of your deck. If you would take damage: You can declare the name of 1 card; Reveal the bottom card of your deck, and, if the name of the revealed card has the same name as the name you declared with this effect, negate that damage and send that card to the GY.

Winds of Destiny / Spell / Normal / Activate only if you control a "Persona" monster and have 1000 LP or less: Discard 1 card; Rearrange the positions of monsters on the field to any monster zones on that same player's field.

Traps:

Damage Hack / Trap / Normal / If you take battle or effect damage while you control a face-up DARK Machine-Type Monster: Inflict damage to your opponent's LP equal to the damage you took, and if you do, gain LP equal to the damage inflicted.

Persona Bead / Trap / Continuous / Activate only if you control a face-up "Persona" monster. Any damage you take is halved. Also, each "Persona" Monster you control cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn. If a "Persona" monster you control would be destroyed, you can banish this card from your GY instead.

Skills:

Double Destroy / Skill / Discard 1 card to target 2 cards your opponent controls; Destroy them.

Double Attack / Skill / Discard 1 monster from your hand to target 1 monster you control that attacked this Battle Phase. That monster can immediately make an additional attack.

Inversion of Fate / Skill / Activate only if you have 1000 LP or less. For the rest of this turn, if you add a card from your deck to your hand: You can place 1 card from your deck on the bottom of your deck.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES** : Special thanks go to Donjusticia, who helped create the Duel you see above, as well as beta-ing. Special thanks also go to Starlight's Poet, who collaborated with me on this story and helped with the lore.

I don't believe I've seen a bigger nerd about video game lore than him. O.O


	2. MISSION-02

**DISCLAIMER** : I do not own Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey or Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS. Both are property of Atlus and Konami respectively.

Word of warning. This story contains spoilers of the endgame content of Strange Journey Redux. Proceed to your own peril, foolish mortal.

* * *

 _ **Parabellum Bullet**_

* * *

 _[pulling up mission summary from last excursion]_

 _Alex, a half-demon born several years into the future, traveled to the past in order to change her world's history. Man had grown complacent and learned nothing, failing to prevent an all-consuming worldly phenomenon known as the Schwarzwelt from occurring. She ultimately succeeded, and entrusted the new future she would make to a young soldier - one of the last surviving members of the Schwarztwelt Strike Investigation Team._

 _However, Alex created a paradox with this action. As the course of her future had been changed, the new future did not have an "Alex" in its threshold. She was ultimately saved from erasure through the efforts of a mysterious individual who called himself Stephen. He saved Alex in order to gain assistance, revealing the existence of other worlds._

 _Among these worlds was one where a dangerous ritual had been adapted into a children's card game. It soon devolved into its own personal sport, and its popularity exploded to the point where a virtual reality, LINK VRAINS, was designed with the purpose of expanding the Duel Monsters experience. In its construction, SOL Technologies had accidentally stirred a creature, sealed long ago by the Pharaohs of Egypt, awake from its millennia long slumber._

 _Tasked by Stephen to defeat this entity, Alex is transported to this new world. She has allied herself with the hacker group known as the Spookies. In a recent attempt to take the Ignis - a highly advanced artificial intelligence lifeform - Alex intervened and fought the Knights of Hanoi, a hacker group intent on destroying the Ignis program. In truth, however, Alex intervened to confirm the identity of the mysterious duelist known as Playmaker._

 _The next mission will soon begin. Please remain on standby..._

* * *

MISSION_02:Spook_ies

* * *

Alex looked over Cage's shoulder as he worked on his computer, fingers dancing across the keyboard at such a fast pace she could barely see the fingers moving at all. It looked like they were a blur. On screen was all the data she had managed to scrounge up in her duel with the three Knights of Hanoi, both on her opponents and on the person she was looking for these past few months.

"I was seriously worried about you back there." the brown-haired girl, Hitomi, said as she curled strands of her hair around her finger. "I mean, three on one? It's doable, sure, but this was your first duel ever!"

"I was fine." Alex assured her before she tapped the silver bracer on her wrist. "I had George helping me, after all."

 _"Even so, Alex, we should likely be more cautious in the future."_ the AI advised his buddy. _"The Knights of Hanoi will no doubt have their eyes on us, as well as Playmaker. We did assist him in protecting the Ignis program."_

Cage chuckled. "Honestly, I wish I could see the looks on their boss' faces. They've been after the Ignis for _years_ , and just when they finally found one of them, it got away and its in the hands of one of their biggest pains in the ass."

"Speaking of Playmaker, he's the guy you're supposed to find, right Alex?" Hitomi asked. "What was his name again? Something-something Fujiki?"

"Yusaku Fujiki." Alex corrected her. "One of the victims of the Lost Incident."

Cage continued working on deciphering all of the data before his console let out a small little dinging sound, catching the others' attention. "Okay, we're good." he announced with a smile. "According to this, the Cyberse density in LINK VRAINS is just low enough for you to go scrounge up some data. I should be able to make you some new cards, but SOL Technologies has all Speedways on lockdown."

Alex rolled her eyes. Sneaking in and grabbing data wouldn't be a problem. Her only real concern was the Knights of Hanoi interfering. As much as she would like to gain more battle experience in Duel Monsters, she'd very much rather prefer how things used to be: just run up and kill a monster with her pistol or sword. Sadly, she had neither of things anymore. Not even in her digital avatar in LINK VRAINS. "In that case, I'll get started tomorrow." she said as she walked over to the back of the room. "Let me know if something changes, yeah?"

"You got it." Cage nodded as he watched her leave. The doors shut behind her. Once they were alone, he sighed. "Man, ever since we got involved with that girl, our lives have gone straight from slightly normal to all out of whack. If we hadn't messed with that Phantom Society group or whatever they call themselves, you think we wouldn't have met her?"

His childhood friend giggled. "I dunno. Something tells me that even if we hadn't gotten involved with them, we probably would have still met her. I dunno what it is about Alex, but something about her just draws you in. Come to think of it, it hasn't really been that long since she joined the Spookies, has it?"

"Yeah, but her recruitment wasn't what you'd call normal, though..."

* * *

The Spookies.

One of the many hacker groups that roamed the cyberspace. They were not one of the most well-known groups. They weren't a newbie group, either. They had been around for a while. In fact, the reason why nobody ever seemed to know much about the Spookies was because they preferred to keep out of sight and out of mind when they worked. The reason they went with the name Spookies was because, when they worked, they'd make sure their target had the spooks. Fearful that someone was targeting them for whatever reason.

Unlike most hacker groups these days, who acted more out of attention or nefarious purposes, the Spookies had a select criteria of people. For starters, they targeted major tech corporations who had been known to perform shady operations. They weren't Robin Hoods, however. They stole valuable data because they _could_. And they'd make damn sure their targets knew it too. Secondly, their targets also had to be connected to certain internet groups, specifically of the underworld variety.

The Underground network was home to many shady and black market organizations. It was also home to illegal dueling circuits in which participants would willingly increase the pain threshold on their avatars and the spectators would bet money to see who would win. The corporations often used these connections to get ahead of the competition. One corporation in particular had such beginnings before they had eventually become a legitimate business. SOL Technologies had been a radically different corporation back then. In fact, this was several decades before LINK VRAINS had even been conceived.

The Spookies targeted groups such as these and stole valuable data for them to use for their personal benefit. Constructing programs and software, the whole works.

But one job had led to some...disastrous results.

One of the members of Spookies had hit something big. Enough to call it the "motherload." Apparently, SOL Technologies had a large cache of data that was unknown to the public. The only people who knew anything about it were the higher ups. Given the corporation's rough beginnings and shady business dealings, the Spookies had targeted them. Hitomi and Cage, however, had a bad feeling about the job. Namely because of how smoothly the hacking seemed to go.

They should have listened to their guts and told the others to give up on the job. If they had, their friends might still be alive today.

* * *

 _SOL Technologies [UNKNOWN] Datascape, Several Months Ago..._

The unlogged and unidentified datascape of one of the many servers of SOL Technologies felt vastly different from previous servers the Spookies had delved into. Cage felt the most unnerved, being unable to comprehend what made this place feel so "off" to him. The air felt heavy like it was trying to choke the life out of them and a weight fell upon them as if it was trying to crush them.

The Datascape was by far one of the most detailed, resembling the interior of a luxurious mansion. The walls were made of solid gold with intricate designs, resembling monsters that would not look out of place in Duel Monsters. The floor was equally as expensive looking, as a velvet carpet covered the dark blue tiles. The ceiling was nothing but mirrors that reflected what was happening down below. Portraits hanged on the walls, showing off beautiful yet somehow morbid imagery. One in particular gave Hitomi the creeps. It showed a man half-consumed by machinery, cogs and wires and steel pipes buried into his flesh. There was only a bland expression on the victim's face. His expression seemed to be expressing a sense of deep and macabre resignation.

"Man, what even is this place?" Hitomi questioned as she looked at the man leading them. "H-hey, Spooky. Are we sure this is a good idea?"

Spooky, the leader of the hacker group, smiled at her warmly. "It'll be fine, Hitomi-chan. Relax! I doubt SOL even knows we're here."

"You sure 'bout that?" The speaker was one of the other Spookies members named Six, appropriately named because of the image of a revolver printed on the back of his avatar's jacket. "Hey, I'm not saying I doubt your hacking skills, Boss, but something about this server is givin' me the creeps."

The yellow-clad hacker next to him nodded strongly. "No kidding. Are we even sure this is a SOL Tech server? Seems kind of odd."

"You should see the other servers." Spooky chuckled. "Trust me, this one is pretty tame. But, you are right. It feels different than the datascapes we've been in so far. Lunch, your keeping track of our trace data, right?"

The aforementioned "Lunch" nodded. "Yep. We're good."

Cage frowned. "What's even in this server?" he asked. "You never did tell us."

"To be honest, I don't know what it is myself. Only reason I know about this big score was because some hacker called "Kolter" discovered it when he was rummaging through the SOL Technology servers. Whatever it was spooked him pretty bad. He warned anyone who had half a mind to listen not to go after it. Naturally, though, he only got everybody even more interested. Of course, most of them were amateurs who got caught the moment they tried breaking into SOL's firewalls. The firewalls that protect this server are Grade S, by the way."

Cage's eyes widened. "Grade" was a term used to describe the defensive level of firewalls, the lowest being E and the highest being X. Grade S firewalls were considered to be high-end and used specifically for certain purposes, such as safe guarding valuable corporate data or information. Grade X, however, was considered to be the unhackable. What few Grade X firewalls there were, no one ever managed to overcome. Not even some of the best hackers, like the globally renown "ANON."

"Seriously?!" Six asked in bewilderment. "Damn! I guess something really important must be in here! Think it could be some extra special dirty laundry?"

"Well, considering SOL wasn't the company it is now way back when, maybe." Spooky shrugged. "We'll find out when we get to the center. This place isn't huge. According to the schematics, this place is about the size of a small one story house. Nothing but a hallway and a room."

Despite Spooky's assurances, Cage and Hitomi didn't feel at ease. Something felt off about this whole thing. Still, they had already come this far, so there was no point in turning back now. What happens, happens. Worst case scenario, Cage could just do a Force Log Out. While his skills as a hacker were nowhere near as good as Spooky or Yuichi, he was confident he could get them out in a pinch.

They progressed down the hall, and eventually came to a stop. Before them sat a double door coated in bloody red. "Guess this is it." Yuichi said. He raised his hand to the door as he brought up a holographic screen from his Duel Disk. "What the...? No security measures? Talk about lax! Even if your using Grade S firewalls, you should have some countermeasures here!"

"That just means this job will be easy." Six said smugly. Without care, he pushed open the doors.

If the hallway had been made for luxury, then the room that laid within was made for royalty. Immediately, they were awestruck by the dazzling gold and silver that made up the walls. However, the room was also bizarre, as the walls themselves seemed to be made of bricks that were loosely connected. Streams of light seeped through the cracks, and unlike the hall there were no decorations. The only parts that were connected were the giant murals that were engraved on sections of the wall, each depicting some sort of being. One was a golden armored figured enshrouded by red streams. The second was a titan hanging from wires, expression bland and uneven like it was made of clay. The last was human-like with a body made entirely of coding.

"What is this place...?" Hitomi asked. "Is this...the hub of the server?"

Lunch nodded. "Seems like. But what're the murals? These security back-ups?"

"They kind of look like Duel Monsters." Yuichi noted. "But I don't think I've seen these kinds before."

Six snickered. "You're such a nerd, Yuichi." he said, albeit in a joking manner. Yuichi glared at him then went over to the center of the room. There sat an ornate golden throne fit for a king, with the backrest reaching up to the ceiling above them. It also depicted some kind of artwork, for engraved on it was a beautiful woman with wings spread across her body, shielding her from view while her lustrous long hair fell past her shoulders, head bowed. "This must be the Central Node. So, Yuichi, any security?"

"None." came the yellow-clad hacker's reply, shaking his head in disappointment. "Man, SOL really is lazy in defending its servers."

"They must be really confident their firewalls can keep intruders out." Spooky hummed. "Or, maybe, there's something waiting for us at the end. Lunch, make sure our escape route is still clear." The lanky member of Spookies nodded and immediately went to work. Spooky then sat down on the throne and pulled up the console, his fingers smoothly navigating the system. In a few short seconds, he was breaking through and inputting commands. "Alright, SOL Technologies... Let's see what you're hiding."

With a final push, Spooky undid the defensive system hiding this great mysterious source of data that a megacorporation like SOL didn't want anyone to see. The walls came undone, leaving only the murals standing in their place. The glass ceiling shattered and was reduced to pixels of data that fragmented and dispersed into nonexistence, having served as mere decorations and nothing more. The only thing left of the room was the throne and the floor beneath their feet. Now, they stood in a giant open space made entirely of pure, raw data. Streams of code swerved and danced in the air, forming into rivers that were dancing across the vast open space. Above their heads was a giant ball of light, where all the data converged. Large pillars of light, highly condensed data, were seen in the far distance.

"Whoa..." Six breathed in awe. Everyone just stared at what they were seeing. "What...is all this? What kind of datascape _is_ this? I mean, all of this data... What the hell!"

"What in the heck is SOL keeping here?" Yuichi wondered.

Hitomi shifted nervously, looking around. "I..." she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I think we should go back. This feels _way_ too easy! It's almost as if-"

"As if someone wanted you to come here, am I right?"

Alarmed, the Spookies whirled around. They had not noticed the new presence among their group. It was a middle-aged man dressed in a button-up shirt and black vest and slacks, fingerless gloves gripping his knuckles tightly while metal bracers sat on his wrists, wrapping around his knuckles and middle fingers. His hair was slicked back and a thick goatee covered his lower jaw. Dark sunglasses sat atop the bridge of his nose. Cage immediately stepped back, feeling an indescribable wave of fear wash over him. Something about this man frightened him.

"Wh-what the?!" Six gasped. "Who the hell are you?"

The man smirked. "Sorry, but I got no interest in telling you my name." he said in a droll as he took out a cigarette and slipped it into his mouth, lighting it with a snap of his fingers. "Especially to a bunch of idiots who are about to die. You should have taken that washed up hacker's warning seriously."

"What're you talking about?" Spooky demanded, narrowing his eyes as he raised his Duel Disk. He was certain the man had no interest in dueling him, but he was sure that he could at least hold him off. After all, a Duel Disk was also a Terminal. And he had more than a few tricks up his sleeve. "Are you with SOL?"

Rather than answer him, the man flickered a finger at Lunch. " **Yubel**. Sick 'em."

 _It happened so fast, none of them saw it happen. One moment, a brush of wind gently touched them. In the next second, a terrified scream pierced the air and the sound of something shattering haunted their ears_.

Cage turned his head and screamed. Lunch's head was severed from his avatar, with a clawed buried elbow-deep in his chest and poking out from his back and a tanned hand gripping his face tightly. It took him a second to realize that Lunch's head had been _ripped_ right off, rather than severed. The attacker was a Duel Monster with hair that was of two different colors: white and dark blue. Its body was both male and female, one side feminine and the other side masculine while reptilian wings spread out from its back. It's eyes were heterochromatic: one eye blue and the other yellow. In the middle of its forehead was another eye, vertical and gazing apathetically.

When an avatar suffered damage like this, the feedback was intense. The user would immediately be forcibly logged out due to the sensation of such life-threatening injuries. Depending on the severity, the individual may even undergo cardiac arrest. When this happened, the avatar would break down into blue pixels and vanish, and the next you would see it, the avatar was fully healed as if it had never been damaged at all. Lunch's avatar did not undergo anything of the sort. Instead, it shattered like glass and turned into red bricks that splashed against the floor before breaking down into polygons and bits of data that dissipated as it rose into the air.

"What..." Yuichi muttered weakly. "What happened? What just-"

The Duel Monster whipped out its clawed hand and grabbed Yuichi. Immediately, he began to struggle. He fruitlessly kicked and punched and clawed, trying to free himself from the Duel Monster's grip. However, it was all for not as with a swift clench and a sickening _crunch_ , Yuichi went limp. His struggles ceased and his body fell to the ground unceremoniously, joining Lunch's fate.

"The hell?!" Six shouted in dismay. "What's going on?! What is this thing?!"

"A Duel Monster, what else?" the man said, sounding bored. "Course, she's been juiced up. Normally you can't summon these things outside the dueling system unless you got some major mojo going for ya. You guys should feel lucky. Yubel's the merciful kind. If I had summoned anything else, they'd have taken their time with you guys. You shouldn't suffer too much."

"What're you talking about?!" Cage shouted. "You can't die in LINK VRAINS!"

"Not unless you bypass all the security measures, like emotion damping and pain receptors." the man countered, chilling them to the bone. "When you guys stepped inside this server, all those pesky blocks were removed. In other words, your two friends? ... _They're dead_."

Hitomi's eyes widened. Her legs gave out, tears spilling down her face. "N-no... Your lying." she said weakly, yet deep down she knew he was not lying. He had no reason to lie.

"Hitomi!"

She was shoved away right as the Duel Monster charged. Six's head was obliterated, along with his upper torso as he was sent flying, shattering upon impact. Hitomi stared at his avatar - his body's fading remains before she fearfully looked up at her attacker. Its gaze was damning and she could only sit there on the ground, staring back. She couldn't move or think. Her mind was shortening out. She couldn't move her body and could do nothing as it slowly turned to her, intent on killing her where she was. "Don't you touch her!" Cage roared and charged at the Duel Monster. It didn't even so much as react to his charge and instead thrusted its human arm forward and slammed it against his chest, knocking him back.

Cage choked as he felt like all of the wind in his body was blown right out of him. His whole body was writhing. He wailed on the floor, clutching his stomach as he tried and failed to get back up to his feet. "H-Hitomi..." he called out weakly. "R-run!"

The Duel Monster raised its claw hand, aiming for Hitomi's head. Then it thrusted, intent on crushing it in a single blow. Hitomi shut her eyes, not wanting to see the end. It didn't come, and instead a pained gasp was heard. She looked up and found the clawed arm stopped by a burly form.

Spooky, completely swallowed in agony of having an arm shoved through his chest, struggled to speak as he looked at her. "Hitomi..." he gritted his teeth, powering through the pain. "T-this...was a bad call. Take Cage...and run...!"

"B...Boss...?"

Spooky smiled weakly. The Duel Monster narrowed its eyes and pulled its arm out of his chest, then swung its leg. Spooky was thrown aside and tumbled through the ground before he came to a stop. For a moment, both teens thought he was fine. Perhaps knocked unconscious. Then they watched as his body breaked down into red bricks, breaking apart and dissipating. Cage let out a raged and sorrow-filled roar as he tried to stand up. He briefly succeeded, but only made it three steps before collapsing back into the ground. Hitomi sobbed, head lowered.

"Guess you two are all that's left." the man huffed as he tossed his cigarette, stomping out its remains. "Alright, Yubel. Wrap it up."

The Duel Monster nodded, eyes gleaming with wicked intent. Hitomi made no reaction as it slowly reared its arm back. It would be over in a moment. Just one strike. Hitomi wanted to honor Spooky's wishes, but what could they do? They wouldn't have any time to log out. This monster would kill them before they could even pull up the menu. It would be better just to resign themselves to their fate.

And so she waited for the end to come.

 _I'm so sorry, Mom... Dad..._

She would never see them again. Would they even know what happened to her? That thought filled her with dread and regret, only sinking further into despair. "Hitomi! What are you doing?!" Cage cried in dismay. "Get out of there!"

Yubel thrusted her arm forward.

"HITOMI!"

...

...

...

" _George_."

[Initiating Demon Summoning Program.]

Clawed hand met clawed hand. Then the Duel Monster, in the blink of an eye, was swept away by an intense wave of flame that destroyed it with ease. It had no time to register what had blocked its attack, or what ended it. The intensity of the flames was focused solely on its target, reducing it to nothingness. Not even digital ashes would remain of its corpse. There was no trace of this formidable threat. It was utterly erased.

"What?!" The man's mood shifted instantly. His face was written with shock and anger, seeing his partner be destroyed in a single blow. And in the blink of an eye, at that! "Who the hell are you?!"

Hitomi raised her head, unsure of what just happened, then gasped.

A woman stood before her, clad in a tight black bodysuit with a silver bracer on her left wrist. A red cloak shrouded her body while black hair spilled across her shoulders. Her face was hidden by a black mask, marked in red designs. There was nothing remarkable about her, but the presence she displayed held an aura of danger and power, as if facing her was something you would deeply regret. At her side was a monster, the killer of Yubel. It was bizarre, for its lower body was like that of a snake while its head was that of an owl, possessing large orange eyes that stared back with animosity. Its torso was deep red, and possessed long, muscled arms with sharpened claws. Bloody red flames lapped around its fingers, proof that it was the one who ended Yubel.

"Who...?" Hitomi muttered weakly, unsure whether or not she was hallucinating. Who was this woman? Where did she even come from?

The man seemed the most alarmed by her presence. Even more so by the creature at her side. "A _demon_?!" he growled. "You! Are you with the Phantom Society?! If you are, why the hell are you interfering?!"

The woman didn't answer his question. Instead, she leveled a glare at him beneath her mask. "You're one of the people trying to resurrect Manitou, aren't you?" she questioned. The man's face was wrought with shock. "You recognizing Amon only further confirms it." She whipped out a handle from her hip. A blue light poured out from the handle, forming into a shape that resembled a blade. "I...will eliminate you!"

"Tch! If you're not with the Society, then you must be a Demon Tamer too..." he said. He assumed a boxing stance, fists raised. Beneath his sunglasses, the man's eyes turned steely. "Been a while since I fought one of you... Okay, then, lass. If you took out Yubel so easily, then that demon must be Rank B or higher. In that case, **Susano-O**!"

A blue portal, different from the one often seen in dueling, was ripped open next to him. A humanoid figure clad in only a red robe that sat atop its shoulders and wielding a long blade with jagged edges emerged from it, eyes red in fury.

"Amon!" the woman shouted.

Amon let out an unearthly screech and lunged, meeting Susano-O's charge. Its blade clashed with its flame-soaked claws. While the two monstrosites combatted one another, their owners engaged. Alex swung her blade and the man met her charge with a swift punch. By all rights, his fist should have been sliced through. Instead, it met the blade and struggled to push it back.

To the remaining members of the Spookies, this was a fight coming straight out of a manga.

To Demon Tamers, this was a battle for dominance.

* * *

 _...after Alex had managed to push our attacker back and helped us escape, we learned what happened to our friends. There was a news report about how four people were found dead in their homes, having apparently died due to an overfeed while logged into LINK VRAINS. A few months later, Hitomi and I attended their funerals. We couldn't tell any our friends' families what happened, not because they wouldn't believe us, but because we couldn't bring ourselves to speak to them._

 _We felt like we had failed. We should have trusted our instincts and booked it right out of there. We payed the price._

 _But, because of this, we met Alex, and we learned about the group the man belonged to. The Phantom Society was a shadowy organization, like the kind you'd see in manga and anime. According to Alex, they were the financial backers who helped sustained SOL Technologies and funded their research projects as they started out. In other words, they were the reason why SOL became the leading megacorp in the world. The Society was comprised of "Demon Tamers" - individuals who could command beings composed of dense data called "Cyberse Material."_

 _We didn't know anything about Alex, or why she was hunting the Phantom Society. All we knew was that she saved our lives. She told us not to get involved, but Hitomi and me... We wanted revenge. We wanted the Phantom Society to pay for what they had done. It took a_ lot _convincing, but Alex decided to let us help her._

 _The Spookies weren't dead just yet. We were going to make sure that the Phantom Society was destroyed. But we couldn't go public with this information at all, namely because if he tried, we would be written off. Hackers would believe us, maybe, but not the general populace. Especially when we were more or less telling people that SOL Technologies was being funded by a shady bunch._

 _We later learned about the man who killed our friends. Finnegan. The Phantom Society's lead enforcer. Anyone who crosses him would end up dead._

 _I won't lie. We're scared. We're just a bunch of kids, going up against a group of people who have no qualms about killing us. They're going to make sure all survivors and the people who were digging around about "Manitou" were erased. But we aren't about to just lie down and die. We are going to fight back._

 _And the first step was Yusaku Fujiki._

* * *

At the central plaza, there was a hot dog stand. It was completely unassuming and was well-known by pretty much everyone. Many people who came to the plaza to watch duels in the real world or came to log in to LINK VRAINS and spectate from there were regulars. The food was average, but it was the closest source of consumables so no one really complained. The owner was also very friendly and his items were all fairly priced.

Of course, no one knew the truth that this hot dog stand was also the command center of the up and coming internet sensation. The base of operations for Playmaker - Yusaku Fujiki.

Alex watched him from afar, sitting at a bench while reading a book. He was just a student, with blue hair bearing a few streaks of purple and emerald green eyes, his face a mask of cool composure and intellect. He was a student, judging by his uniform. For the past hour, he had been merely waiting around the stand, looking for an opportunity to escape into the bus.

[Are you certain this is the wisest course of action?] George questioned her. [You do realize that we're more or less risking ourselves by doing this. This strategy may have worked for the Lieutenant, but are not him.]

Alex agreed with her partner on that. Unlike that soldier, she didn't have any charisma or leadership skills. She was a survivor who fought tooth and nail in what little remained of her world. At best, all she could do was look menacing. The soldier did tell her that her glare was the stuff of nightmares, after all.

"Maybe. But it's the only way I think he can agree to work with me. Besides, it isn't like he'll lose anything from this." She paused, then pursed her lips. "Except maybe die in the process. I can't exactly guarantee his safety."

[That is true.]

She sighed and shook her head. If she was going to do this, now was the time. She steeled her nerves and stood up, approaching Yusaku. The teen noticed her advances and looked up, not in the least bit curious about her. "Can I help you?" he asked, voice even.

Alex didn't bother beating around the bush. "My name is Alex. You're Playmaker, aren't you? Yusaku Fujiki?" Yusaku spluttered, eyes wide in disbelief. "And don't bother trying to lie. The Ignis Artificial Intelligence is still inside your Duel Disk. It's locked inside."

"H-how..."

[ **Heeeeeh...** ] A yellow eye surrounded by black and purple circuits popped out, looking at Alex in awe and slight fear. [ **This girl is something else. Still, it was nice to know freedom while it lasted. Are you with the Knights of Hanoi**?]

[No, we are not.] George replied, earning Yusaku's attention. [Hello. I am George, Alex's Buddy. It's a pleasure to meet you, Playmaker.]

Yusaku, still shocked, nodded. Internally, he was panicking. This was bad. How did this girl discover his identity so quickly? Who was she? Could she have been that mystery duelist who helped keep the Hanoi reinforcements off his back from yesterday? If so, what was her objective? Why approach him in the middle of public? He tried to calm his nerves, but Alex's piercing stare unnerved him. He felt exposed. He did _not_ enjoy this feeling.

"...if I am Playmaker, what are you going to do with this information?" he asked calmly, not wanting to give himself away.

Alex scoffed. "I have no intention of selling you out. Instead, I want to make a deal with you." Yusaku raised an eyebrow.

What Alex said next left him speechless.

"Tell me, Fujiki. What do you know about the Lost Incident? Or rather, the ones who started the whole thing?"

* * *

 **MISSION TERMINATED...**

* * *

 _NEXT ASSIGNMENT:_

 _The Spookies discover the location of one of the Phantom Society's members - and one of the key individuals behind Yusaku Fujiki's dark past. Meanwhile, Alex and Yusaku discuss the truth behind the Lost Incident and its history, as well as its purpose. While they prepare to enter the stage of destiny, other individuals seek to defeat Playmaker and Alex, one of whom is motivated by the appearance of these new sensations. Is fame truly what they're seeking?_

 _MISSION_03:Two_Warriors_

 _I look forward to the successful completion of our mission._

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Sweet merciful crap, I actually managed to get the next chapter out. Terribly sorry about the late response. These past couple of weeks haven't been kind. I got a pink slip from my job at the mall and was in search of new work. I was really stressed out and was in a very bad place because no one was willing to hire me. Fortunately, my mother introduced me to one of her old co-workers, who put in a good word for me at a pharmacy. It isn't well-paying, but it does help me pay rent.

No duel this chapter, as I wanted to focus on Alex's affiliation with the Spookies. It's a short and sweet affair, but there's obviously more to the story than that. I'll be exploring more of that as we go.

On another note, a story that has long been in the making is almost ready. Speaking of which, I know I really shouldn't, but I have a new story idea in mind. But before I can start writing...I need to play Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Please pray for my controller and console. Controller-kun the second has already endured abuse, and he may not live through another rage quit.

* * *

 **REVIEW**

Boyzilla: No prior knowledge of SMT is required, but I do recommend a few of their games, such as the Persona series. I've only recently gotten into it myself.

Donjusticia: He's something, isn't he? And sadly, you'll only learn about Hitomi and Cage. I killed off the rest. ...huh. Character deaths two chapters in. Wow, I've become a heartless bastard.

ThePLOThand: "Persona" is more or less the name of the archtype. And Alex's unorthodox playstyle is to reflect her own status in this story, given that she is an outsider. In terms of timeline, I like to assume that, barring Arc-V, which is multiverse, all the other series take place after the original series. 5D's is in the same timeline as the original series, but I don't know of Zexal follows it.


End file.
